Device for feeding fuel to furnaces.



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Patented Aug. 27, |90I.

W. J. BALDWIN.

{Applicmm med nm-n 24, 1900.)

DEVICE FOR FEEDING FUEL T0 FUBNAGES.

(No Model.)

NTE .eine

Fries.

DEVICE FOR FEEDING FUEL TO FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 681,429, dated August27, 1901.

Application filed December 24, 1900. Serial No. l10,868. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern..-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the city ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Devices for Feeding Fuel to Furnaces, of which thefollowing is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in devices for feeding fuels tofurnaces. In particular it relates to hoppers for feeding light andinflammable refuse materials-such as paper, paper boxes, pieces ofwooden packing-boxes, and other light inflammable materials-intosubsidiary furnaces, such as are described in my application for patentof the United States filed July 2, 1900, Serial No. 22,277, and nowpending.

The invention also relates to certain improvements in the constructionof the furnace itself, as hereinafter described.

In using fuels of the character mentioned it is desirable that areceptacle shouldbe provided at the furnace-door or that the door itselfshould constitute such a receptacle for receiving such materials in bulkand readily and quickly discharging them into the furnace and that thedoor-opening in the furnacefront should be closed during the intervalrequired to dump the materials into the furnace in order to prevent thepossibility of the escape of iiames from the door. It is also desirablethat the furnace be so constructed as to admit large quantities of airabove the burning fuel. I attain these objects by providing at the saiddoor-opening a hopper which constitutes both a door for the furnace anda receptacle to receive the fuel material and dump it into the furnace,and this hopper is so constructed and shaped that it closes thedoor-opening both in its normal positionthat is, when serving as a doorand to receive the fuel materials-'and also in its dumping position. Ialso by preference combine with the hopper a hood which closes thedoor-opening during the motion of the hopper from one of its positionsto the other, and thus prevent the escape of the flames from the openingthatr is left around the hopper in its intermediate positions. I alsoprovide twyers in the front of the furnace above the grates to admit airinto the furnace above the burning fuel.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification to aid thedescription, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a furnaceequipped with my hopper. The hopperis shown in the normal position,wherein it constitutes a door. Fig. 2 is a front elevation andcross-section of thefurnace.

A is any furnace which is suitable for light fuels, d being an openingwhich connects to the chimney or to the iiue which leads to the mainfurnace or furnaces, as described in my said application Serial No.22,277. In front the brickwork is preferably inclined downward from thedoor, as indicated at b, to allow the metal hopper C to take aneffective dumping position. Said hopper C is provided with a horizontalcross-shaft c, the round ends of which turn in bearings d, which arefixed on the furnace-front e. On the projecting ends of said shaft c arepreferably fixed countei-weights ff. Said hopper O is provided with awall h, which constitutes a door to close the door-opening in the frontof the furnace when the said hopper is in the normal position of Fig. 1,and with a Wall t', which is of such shape and at such an angle with thewall h that when said hopper has turned to the dumping position saidwall c' or the edges thereof shall also close said door-opening andprevent the escape of flames while the hopper is dumping the fuel-intothe furnace, and I prefer to arrange the said walls h and at an obtuseangle with each other, as shown in Fig. 1, and so that when the saidhopper O is in the dumping position the said wall h shall inclineparallel with and rest on the brickwork h and at such an angle that thefuel Will 4slide down said wall and upon the inclined grates m. Thefront wall j of 4said hopper C is preferably curved on an arc struckfrom the shaft c as a center and is high enough to extend to theplatform fw when the hopper is in the normal position. Said hopper C isof course of such length parallel to the furnacefront as to extendacross the door-opening and is in general of rectangular shape in plan.The end walls Z of said hopper are each preferably curved at their upperedge on an arc of a circle which is struck from said shaft c IOO as acenter, and said end walls Z may either be of one piece, as shown, orthe curved top pieces may be bolted to the main end pieces. Any suitabledevice may be'provided for moving the hopper C, as a curved rack n,which is fixed on an end of the said hopper, and a pinion o, meshingtherewith and fixed on a shaft p, which is carried in suitable bearingson the furnace-front and is provided with a handle, as indicated.

I prefer to provide a buffer q to arrest the motion of the hopper whencoming to its normal position, said buffer q consisting of a coiledspring in the belled end of a tube which is fixed to the furnace-front eat a suitable angle. The front wall h of said hopper C is protected inany suitable manner, as by a fire-brick lining,from the heat of theflames.

The material is brought to the hopper C on the platform w, Which is ofcourse supported by any suitable construction, and is swept or shoveledinto the said hopper, which is thenturned by the attendant by means ofthe handle and shaft p to its dumping position. -It is evident from thedescription hereinbefore given that when the hopper has turned to itsdumping position the wall t, or, more properly speaking, the edgesthereof, will close the door-opening; but in the positions of the hopperintermediate between the normal and the dumping positions there will beleft an open space, and to close this I prefer to provide a metalhood s,which is curved on an arc of a circle struck from the said shaft c as acenter and is hinged to the front e at t. Said hood s is provided with achain u and counterpoise r. After the hopper has been filled theattendant lowers said hood s to the platform w, and then said hood,together with the end walls of the' hopper, closes the door-opening andprevents the escape of the flames While the hopper C is in transit.

To admit air above the fuel, I provide tWyerrons :c in the front of thefurnace, the

same being a long rectangular perforated castn December, 1900.

ing, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the brickwork is constructed asindicated in that figure.

The grates m are preferably inclined at such y an angle that the fueland ashes will slide i down as the fuel burns, and a door is prol. Thecombination with a furnace of a y shiftable hopper having a wall adaptedto close the furnace-opening when the hopper is in the normal positionfor being filled, and a wall adapted to close said opening when thehopper is in thedumping position, and a hood hinged to the furnacefrontand adapted to be lowered While the hopper is moving to said dumpingposition and close said door-open.- ing, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hopper having a wall constituting a door for thefurnace-opening when the hopper is in the normal position for beinglled, a wall constituting a door for said opening when the hopper is inthe dumping position, and walls having curved top edges as described,and a curved hood hinged to the furnacefront and adapted to be 10W- eredover the hopper and together with said curved ends close saiddoor-opening in the intermediate positions of said hopper, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination with a f urnaee of a hop-` per having a wall adaptedto close the furnace-opening when the hopper is in the normal positionfor being filled and a wall adapted to close said opening when thehopper is iny the dumping position, a hood hinged to the furnace-frontand adapted to be lowered and close the said opening while the hopper yis moving to the dumping position, a counterlpoise for the hood, andmeans for shiftlng said hood, substantially as described.

Signed at New York city this 17th day of WILLIAM J. BALDWIN. Witnesses:

DAVID WALTER BROWN,

JOHN C, BARR. i

